Hozumi is admittedly a tough person to get to know. She's introverted and oftentimes lost in her head, with many saying that she practically exists in her own world, only coming out of that shell when something catches her attention and sparks her interest. But when that curiosity is sparked, the fire is quick to consume her, and she can be rather intense when it happens. She tends to only become chatty and energetic around people she truly trust won't ridicule her for her interests, and she deeply values any friendship she makes, though showing that can be a little awkward at times.
The fifth member of the Japan’s Supreme Five (mostly unknown to the public since she only attends the National Tournament), Hozumi Himegi did not actually start Blading until fairly recently. Instead, she was a BeyCrafter, spending the majority of time in solitude while she worked on private commissions for Bladers. It’s this reason that she was able to gain an encyclopedic knowledge of the sport, despite not being super active herself.
That all changed when, on a particularly rainy day, a thirteen-year-old Shu Kurenai stumbled into her workshop, a bandage wrapped around his eye and a broken single-layer Spryzen, having just faced a (literally) scarring loss in the finals of the National Tournament to Lui Shirosagi and his then new Dual-Layer Bey, Lost Luinor. He almost demanded that she help him evolve his Bey into the new system, and while Hozumi was unsure, she was more than willing to take up the challenge. Unfortunately, because of how new the system was in general, and Shu’s very meticulous specifications for his Bey, this commission took a much longer time to complete than the others Hozumi had in the past, with Shu coming over every day to help her craft with what little he knew. The two’s conversations eventually turned casual and they started to become close friends, Shu being the first real friend that Hozumi ever had.
After plenty of all-nighters, Shu arrived one day to see a snoring Hozumi next to a new Bey, Storm Spryzen. Even though it was now complete complete, Shu knew that he needed to train for any possibility, and since Hozumi had a plethora of Beys just lying around, she was the perfect partner. But, since the Dual-Layers were so much better than the single layers, Hozumi was almost always Burst in one shot, and not wanting to let Shu down, she began to craft more Dual-Layers, with Shu continually coming over every day, sometimes just to chat about things like his best friend, Valt. Talking about what would happen if Hozumi made her own unique Bey kind of just happened, the two bouncing ideas off each other until something just stuck. When she mentioned that she wanted to craft the ultimate Defense-Type, Shu suggested that she look at Kerbeus, one of the first Defense-Types ever released. And, so Hozumi crafted her Bey, Honor Hydra, tying with Shu in their very first match.
Despite the fact that she does not do well in crowds (hating how overwhelming the noise is and everybody watching her), she began to enter official tournaments upon Shu’s request (He did not know this fact and Hozumi didn’t want to concern him), valuing her friendship with Shu over her discomfort. She quickly climbed up the ranks of Japan, never letting her opponents get a Ring-Out finish, until by the beginning of the series, the fourteen-year-old Hozumi was ranked fifth best in all of Japan, only two placements behind Shu Kurenai. She was dubbed the Snake Princess, not only for the theme of her Bey, but how she slithered in and out of tournament venues swifter than anyone could see, with no one ever getting an interview from her.
Sometime before the Team Battle portion of the National Tournament, she crossed paths with the Valt Aoi that Shu could never stop talking about, finding him somewhat bothersome but endearing in the way he cared for others. She still crushed him in their battle though.
She wanted to give him a serious battle, and, in the quarter-finals of that years National Tournament, she did, with Shu being the first one to knock Hydra out of the stadium in a Ring-Out Finish. When Shu’s Storm Spryzen breaks during the semi-finals of the National Tournament, Hozumi’s composure breaks, running over to Shu immediately and telling him that they’ll rebuild a new Spryzen.
After the Tournament was over, Shu became uncharacteristically quiet, and although Hozumi could notice the seething anger boiling inside him, she was more focused on fixing the problem before dealing with the emotional stuff that she wasn’t good at and definitely wasn’t equipped to handle. The two barely spoke at all until she finished Legend Spryzen, where after a cold thank you, he just left the workshop without another word. The next Hozumi heard of Shu, it was from Valt saying that he was in America, scouted by the Raging Bulls, and competing without even so much as a goodbye to anyone besides Valt. Hozumi immediately did everything in her power to join the Raging Bulls, not letting it end there, and after some tryouts, she was eventually brought into the team. Shu remained distant, and even though Hozumi wanted to say something, her stubbornness and innate loyalty wouldn't let her believe that Shu didn't know what he was doing, so she continued to support him.
This dynamic continued into the Snake Pit, where Hozumi didn't have much trouble becoming Odd-Eye, because she felt as if she didn’t have much left in her past that was worth salvaging. She continued to sink deeper and deeper, believing that it would all work out in the end, until she reached her breaking point, the creation of Spryzen Requiem, the first evolution that didnt involve her at all. That’s when Hozumi realized that she’d failed Shu not just as a Blader, but as a friend, and she was going to try her damndest to make things right. She pretended to go along with Ashtem’s schemes in order to earn a spot in the International Bladers’ Cup (replacing Norman), facing Red Eye relatively early. She says that even though she failed, she’ll bring him back by giving everything she has.
Then her Bey snaps in two, just barely grazing her.
Defeated and broken, Hozumi tells Valt that she doesn’t know if there’s anything left of Shu to save, to which Valt refuses and proves her wrong when he beats Shu in the finals.
After the time skip between Evolution and Turbo, Hozumi has stayed with the Bulls, becoming their primary BeyTrainer after Trad Vasquez went back to BC Sol. She and Shu have also begun a romantic relationship, finally having gotten over their flaws and genuine obliviousness, and Hozumi plays a major role in helping mentor all of Shu’s students.
